Sun Emits Three Intense Flares in Two Days

In a 70-minute span Tuesday morning, the sun put on a fiery show, emitting two large solar flares that were caught on camera by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

At 7:42 a.m. EDT, the first and largest significant solar flare shot from the left side of the sun. NASA qualified it on the X-class scale as an X2.2 flare, with an X2 flare being twice as strong as an X1 flare. For comparison's sake, the largest solar flare of 2014 was an X4.9-class flare that occurred in February, according to SPACE.com.

Then, at 8:52 a.m. EDT, the second flare blasted from the surface of the sun and was classified as a weaker X1.5 flare, NASA reported.

The frequency of sunspots coincides with an 11-year cycle, according to NASA. When the solar cycle is at a minimum, fewer solar flares are detected. But now, because NASA believes the sun is at or near its maximum, SPACE.com said large, frequent solar flares are possible.